Tenerife, UK or a bit of both. Which is best?

[Tom & Sharon]

Lots of threads on here about cost of living, food, petrol, etc.

Employment is another. Wages, conditions, job security, unemployment rates.

But is it all about the figures?

Lifestyle, education. Do you want to work, retire? Health care, which is best? UK or Tenerife? Where's the best place to bring up young children? And when they're older and need university education or training? Where's best for them? What happens when you're old and need support for independent living?

Where's best? UK, Tenerife, a bit of both, or different places for different times of life?

[warbey]

There can be many answers to this Question, as We are all different.

If We were able, We would have Homes Here and in Tenerife..

I have always been a bit cautious about Health away from Home, but a Relative who lived in the Canaries for 7 Years has nothing but Praise.

It all boils down to Personal circumstances and what they will allow You to achieve....

[timmylish]

My Daughter works in the health care business in the UK but used to live with me here a number of years ago. In the 23/24 years of residing on Tenerife, until 6 years ago, I had no recourse to the health system but that all changed the day I was considered dead due to a stroke. As is patently obvious I was able to make a fairly full recovery although issues arising meant that I could not work anymore and had to attend hospitals regularly. Long and short I have total confidence in the health system here, above that in the UK (for a variety of reasons) and my daughter is in full agreement. The one and only gripe I have is the lack of a general hospital here in the south and although I was on Private Health Care at the time of my stroke I was treated by the same professor I was later dealt with under the Social System and have continued to be treated under that system to a very satisfactory level (except the travelling). So, in short, on Health Care Tenerife wins hands down, as far as I,m concerned.

[YOUNG GOLFER]

About time we had a good debate on here lol.
I love to visit the UK each year around 2 times as a norm but more now as my son plays for a professional rugby team over there. As for Tenerife its my home now and has been for a long time.....I started work here when I was 18 and now have my own business with my wife which we have both worked very hard and continue to do so. I have to say one of the plus sides to Tenerife is the different nationalities that live here and I have got to know many now as friends Russians , Spanish , Cubans , Italians ,the list goes on and on and most people I get to meet are very nice friendly people. The climate is perfect the only downside there are no good bananas . Lol

[dede]

I lived in tenerife for ten years and I have recently moved back to the UK. I loved living there at the time but never realised how much I missed england. What I find strange is when people that live in tenerife take it very personal if anyone wants to go back to england they seem to take offence that you want to leave the beautiful island of tenerife. Tenerife has beautiful weather all year round without a doubt but the scenery is far from beautiful when you look at England's country side. I felt like I was stagnating the last year I lived I tenerife so made the move. I have loads of friends that have also moved back this year to the uk and I still have loads of friends that still live in tenerife, Iv e noticed there's still some dip sticks that still live their but they won't change no matter where they live , but hey ho they have to live somewhere lol..o h well somethings and some places and some people never change....

[seanocelt]

I would ask yourselves; Tom n Sharon. For years you have told us what is best!!;-)

[slodgedad]

I think everyone would say a bit of both, but who can afford that?

[junglejim]

We like the option of both ,and being very fortunate early retirees we can move between Scotland and Tenerife as we please .
The weather is the main decider for me - too wet and cold causes me health issues , too warm and humid causes my wife issues !I really hate being cold ! Family ties are also important, having a new grandson and another on the way will give us some decisions this year about our length of stay !
Both Scotland & Tenerife have plenty to offer in different ways but I tend to prefer Tenerife as I can enjoy night life when I choose whereas where we are in Ayrshire the majority of entertainment is compressed into a couple of days at weekend!
I understand Timmy's point of view wrt Healthcare and in later years for us more senior that becomes a priority , for younger families with kids their education and prospects must weigh heavily in their decision .
The safety net of UK welfare system , although not perfect , seems better than that in Tenerife for the less fortunate with little or no income and low wage scales .
In terms of cost of living , I find on balance Tenerife cheaper though being in UK my wife finds things that we wouldn't normally buy "on offer" - I still prefer Canarian small Bananas !

[candy2411]

My main home is in the UK but I have a small apartment in Tenerife.It was always in my long term plan to sell up in the UK once I retired and make the move more permanent.However this hasn't happened for various reasons.

Tenerife is beautiful and the endless sunshine and warm weather is glorious and promotes a more sociable outlook and feeling of well-being, but on a permanent basis I would miss the wonderful UK shopping, visits to the cinema, theatre and trips to London ( I can be in the capital 2hours 20 mins by train).
The other main reason is a financial one, boring I know, but it makes no sense to me to downsize in the UK to upgrade in Spain to become saddled with all the extra tax implications involved.
So for now I'll keep a foothold in both places, even if it means putting up with tedious flying time on a regular basis.Long live Ryanair !!

[Malteser Monkey]

I think everyone would say a bit of both, but who can afford that?
Ecky Thump

:D

I stick with my comment (on the other thread) on Bananas wherever you live:lol:

[rosemary]

Reading through all the posts it seems to me that the consensus lies in the option of a foot in both camps if finances allow. Also the plain fact that for most of us resident in Tenerife it is the climate which is the biggest pull, so many people have health issues when they first arrive, bad chests etc. The winters in the UK are horrible, no doubt about it. Lack of light and bright sunshine and warmth are huge issues for good health. Plus the horrendous cost of simply heating the home in the long winter.
But like many here I need to go back to the UK for the cultural input more often than I used to. Many of our friends ask us why we live here. My answer is always the same. Health. And the tranquillity and the beauty of the island which is so easily accessible.

[warbey]

YOUNG GOLFER has made a point I agree with.

On reflection, We have more Friends and acquaintances in Tenerife than in the U.K.

No doesn't matter what Nationality, and isn't it nice to Visit when You are over there, in Tenerife.?

A lot work long Hours and yet have an easy-going nature and respect for Others.

I believe it is up to Ourselves to be nice to Others, as You do.

Long may it continue.

I too like Entertainment on tap, but think it has fallen from the Standard and Variety of some Years ago, sadly....

[Malteser Monkey]

Reading through all the posts it seems to me that the consensus lies in the option of a foot in both camps if finances allow. Also the plain fact that for most of us resident in Tenerife it is the climate which is the biggest pull, so many people have health issues when they first arrive, bad chests etc. The winters in the UK are horrible, no doubt about it. Lack of light and bright sunshine and warmth are huge issues for good health. Plus the horrendous cost of simply heating the home in the long winter.
But like many here I need to go back to the UK for the cultural input more often than I used to. Many of our friends ask us why we live here. My answer is always the same. Health. And the tranquillity and the beauty of the island which is so easily accessible.


Cultural input ...Rosemary what do you mean ?

[rosemary]

Cultural input ...Rosemary what do you mean ?

Oh you know Malteser... Boring stuff like concerts at the Albert Hall with a massed choir of 800 schoolchildren in the National Youth Choir, (including my 2 grandchildren), exhibitions at the Royal Academy in London, theatre productions (directed by my eldest daughter), a jazz trio down the pub (including my other daughter) singing the old jazz classics, just nosing through the V&Albert museum, browsing the old second hand and rare bookshops in the Charing Cross Road.....the best that London, my old manor, has to offer. That kinda stuff. rolleyes2:

BTW you are my favourite snack....

[kathml]

I now live 5 months Tenerife the rest at home circumstances make it too difficult to change even although I would like to So at moment happy with both

Written sipping a G&T in my beloved Medano

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

I now live 5 months Tenerife the rest at home circumstances make it too difficult to change even although I would like to So at moment happy with both

[Malteser Monkey]

Oh you know Malteser... Boring stuff like concerts at the Albert Hall with a massed choir of 800 schoolchildren in the National Youth Choir, (including my 2 grandchildren), exhibitions at the Royal Academy in London, theatre productions (directed by my eldest daughter), a jazz trio down the pub (including my other daughter) singing the old jazz classics, just nosing through the V&Albert museum, browsing the old second hand and rare bookshops in the Charing Cross Road.....the best that London, my old manor, has to offer. That kinda stuff. rolleyes2:

BTW you are my favourite snack....

Well I thank you for that.... and long may I continue to please thee:D

All the pleasures I enjoyed in my youth at the Albert Hall and working not so far from Charing Cross Road, alongside her Majesty's bank - it once bore my inevitable journey to and from Dartford, from once I did inhabit.:D

[Santiago]

As I have said before: If you move into paradise, what do you have left to look forward to each year.

Yes, a foot in both camps would be nice but then there would be the problem of looking after each one when one was absent in the other. Sorry, folks, I prefer to live in Cornwall, in the countryside near all my friends, and just visit Tenerife on my once a year vacation. Fortunately Cornwall is much warmer than other parts of the country so we don't need expensive central heating as our winters are rarely cold. Anyway, I don't think there is anything nicer than a cold, wet Sunday with a fire in the grate and roast beef and yorkshire pudding to look forward to for dinner - it just wouldn't work in Tenerife.

[YOUNG GOLFER]

Well I can think of something better ..... A t bone steak in tenerife of a nighttime outside with a good bottle of red.....and the local fiesta music in the background.

[karinagal]

We're looking forward to having a foot in either camp when we retire.. The season loosely termed 'summer' in the UK, and winter in Tenerife. By that time we're thinking that we would rent out our UK home and use the income from that to fund our retirement. Maybe even buy or rent a caravan somewhere nice for the summer in the UK!

[Malteser Monkey]

We're looking forward to having a foot in either camp when we retire.. The season loosely termed 'summer' in the UK, and winter in Tenerife. By that time we're thinking that we would rent out our UK home and use the income from that to fund our retirement. Maybe even buy or rent a caravan somewhere nice for the summer in the UK!

Thought you were already retired:hide::cheeky:

[karinagal]

Thought you were already retired:hide::cheeky:

Nope.... I wish!

[princessmonika]

Yes karina, that's exactly my thing. But not a caravan. See you soon on the rock. :sunshine::sunshine::sunshine::sunshine::sunshine:

[Balcony]

Left soley to me I would opt for what I had previously - a home in the UK and several (longer) visits a year to Tenerife. My tax residence would be the UK. But we are looking at the situation right now with alternative choices.

Some of the choices available are determined by money/income....then of course the outgoings, but I think we can all find a level that suits us.

Permanent residence in Tenerife only worries me from all all the practical issues in life - the fiscal issues - learning a whole bunch of new paperwork requirements (though I would probably opt for using accountants and gestors!). I'm at an age where I am concerned at a health issue and having continuity in Tenerife. Finally, ensuring what I have goes where I want it once I pop my clogs.These are all things that can be overcome, of course, as well as learning Spanish.

Luckily, I don't have to consider employment options in Tenerife, as most of what I do is done on-line, though I would have to find some solutions and renew my faith in Spanish banks.

[warbey]

As I have said before: If you move into paradise, what do you have left to look forward to each year.

Yes, a foot in both camps would be nice but then there would be the problem of looking after each one when one was absent in the other. Sorry, folks, I prefer to live in Cornwall, in the countryside near all my friends, and just visit Tenerife on my once a year vacation. Fortunately Cornwall is much warmer than other parts of the country so we don't need expensive central heating as our winters are rarely cold. Anyway, I don't think there is anything nicer than a cold, wet Sunday with a fire in the grate and roast beef and yorkshire pudding to look forward to for dinner - it just wouldn't work in Tenerife.



What's wrong with a Meal either at a Restuarant or Outside, with a bottle or two of Red or a Beer or two, and a stroll along the Prom.

with a few Lookie Men as Bodyguards...... No washing up either....

[slodgedad]

Left soley to me I would opt for what I had previously - a home in the UK and several (longer) visits a year to Tenerife. My tax residence would be the UK. But we are looking at the situation right now with alternative choices.

Some of the choices available are determined by money/income....then of course the outgoings, but I think we can all find a level that suits us.

Permanent residence in Tenerife only worries me from all all the practical issues in life - the fiscal issues - learning a whole bunch of new paperwork requirements (though I would probably opt for using accountants and gestors!). I'm at an age where I am concerned at a health issue and having continuity in Tenerife. Finally, ensuring what I have goes where I want it once I pop my clogs.These are all things that can be overcome, of course, as well as learning Spanish.

Luckily, I don't have to consider employment options in Tenerife, as most of what I do is done on-line, though I would have to find some solutions and renew my faith in Spanish banks.
Well that's put a kybosh on the plan then if that's a requirement...:)

[princessmonika]

just under 6 month in tenerife on and of --and the rest in where you pay your taxes-- great life-- an apartment where your fiscal resident is , you can lock up and go. a friend can look in at times to see if everything is ok-- he and she could get a free holiday in tenerife , when you are not there-

[candy2411]

As I have said before: If you move into paradise, what do you have left to look forward to each year.

Yes, a foot in both camps would be nice but then there would be the problem of looking after each one when one was absent in the other. Sorry, folks, I prefer to live in Cornwall, in the countryside near all my friends, and just visit Tenerife on my once a year vacation. Fortunately Cornwall is much warmer than other parts of the country so we don't need expensive central heating as our winters are rarely cold. Anyway, I don't think there is anything nicer than a cold, wet Sunday with a fire in the grate and roast beef and yorkshire pudding to look forward to for dinner - it just wouldn't work in Tenerife.



One yes, but not when its every week!